Literary Feast

I mentioned earlier that I've been on a bit of a reading binge lately and it's true. I just can't seem to get books into my hands fast enough right now. Most of the books I pick up because they have been recommended by friends, other bloggers, my mom, etc. I have much more confidence in someone I know to recommend something good than a review or a spot on a bestseller list. Since I enjoy reviews so much, I thought I would pass along my thoughts on my most recent reads.

I'm sure I'm not the first person to do this (or maybe I am and I'm just a little more odd than I thought) but I tend to classify the books I read according to the type of brain "meal" they would be, so that is what I am going to do.

Dinners: "Healthy" books; most non-fiction falls into this category, as do classic literature or even those books that I think are well-written and force me to pause and think.

Who Made the Moon: a father explores how science and faith agree. Sigmund Brouwer - I was expecting a steak dinner but this turned out to be more like a happy meal, completely devoid of any nutrition and tastes like cardboard going down. The author was illogical and couldn't seem to figure out who his audience was. When he did decide, his point was still, "I think I'm right but it's true I may not be, but I'm less likely to send your children to hell so you should think my way." I'm just proud of myself for finishing it.

The end of education: redefining the value of school. Neill Postman - Well written, his argument made sense and even when I didn't agree with his all of his conclusions, I still gained something from reading it as it definitely got me thinking... mostly how I don't ever want my children to go to school, but that wasn't his intention. I liked it so much that I picked up another of his books...

Amusing ourselves to death. Neill Postman - Good and probable more relevant today than when it was written. Sadly, I think it might be too late for me. At the end of the 3rd chapter, I put it down to check my Facebook account. (I did pick it up again later, though).

Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the rise of raunch. Ariel Levy - This is the only one of the listed books that I hadn't read in the last few weeks but I meant to talk about it several months ago when I finished it but didn't ever get around to it. I still remember it well which is already a plus in its favor. It's not a long book, but it took me a while to get through because I could only read a chapter at a time because it was a little depressing. From 13-year-olds with "bootylicious" written on the back of their pants to 21-year-olds who will expose their body to millions of men in pursuit of a trucker hat, women in the country don't seem to have a good grasp of what it means to be empowered. But the extreme examples, while shocking, only illustrate a deeper problem. Levy is written from a completely different worldview than me and her thoughts on why this is happening (I can't for the live of me figure out how she blames 14-year-olds having sex on the fact that "Bush hates gays") and what to do about it don't really match up with mine, but it's good information and I think it does a great job illustrating how the feminist movement has let us down, even though that isn't necessarily the goal of the book.

Snacks: Most non-fiction goes here provided it is at least fairly well written. You wouldn't want to completely survive off of snacks but they can provide some intellectual nutritional value as well as fun during the course of a day.

Julia Grey Series (Silent in the grave, Silent in the sanctuary and Silent on the moor). Deanne Raybourn. Despite what the covers may imply, this is a series of three victorian mysteries with a bit of romance and not harlequin romance novels. It took me a while to get into the first one bu I did eventually and by the end of the first, which was a bit more scandalous than I anticipated, I was hooked and read all three in a row. The plots may not always be plausible and the endings wrap things up just a little too nicely but the characters suck you in. Plus, the author has a blog and I love it when authors are real people who like to interact with their readers, especially when they treat their characters like real people. It makes me feel less weird about doing so myself. I'm already excited about her other books coming out in the next year or two. (Rachel, I have a feeling you would enjoy these.)

Diary of a Provincial Lady. E.M. Cummings - Funny but odd. I'm not sure why but it reminds me a bit of an Amelia Bedelia book, except for grown-ups. Full of dry British humor (which I happen to love), it is like reading a blog written in 1931. And while our lives may be different in many many ways, in terms of "diaries"it is still more relatable than Bridget Jones'.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Alexander McCall Smith. The people that like this series seem to really like it. I picked it up a few years ago but didn't really get it and eventually the library reclaimed it. I tried again and this time I thought it was okay. I'll probably read more and keep trying to enjoy them as much as others seem too.

Book Candy - Absolutely no nutritional value but a treat nonetheless and won't kill your brain as long as you eat real food too.

Twilight Series. Stephenie Meyer. - Oh yes I did. I started and finished this whole silly 2000+ page series in under 48 hrs. I won't say it is well written, it's not. I won't say it illustrates true love and Edward is the ideal boyfriend/husband, it doesn't and he isn't. But it's so fun that Stephanie Meyer completely succeeded at sucking me into her strange world of vampires and werewolves. And really, who doesn't want to read about a clumsy 17-year-old soon to be pro-life girl and her perfect 100+ year-old, abstinence-promoting, "vegetarian" vampire boyfriend as they struggle with real issues such as the value of life, souls, vampire ethics, physical displays of affection, and loving someone enough to let them go. Okay really, I wouldn't let my 13-year-old read this and there are valid complaints that it paints an unrealistic portrait of love to the point where adolescent girls may not understand the difference between a healthy, protective relationship and an abusive one but by the end, I think both Bella and Edward have really demonstrated all four types of love, although they obviously aren't perfect. Plus, it just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside (but no, that doesn't mean I'm team Jacob). Don't worry Craig, I still love you, even if you can't dazzle me with your perfect angular facial features, messy but model-like hair, and cold but rock hard body that sparkles in the sunlight.